Iran Condemns Saudi-Led Coalition for Killing Yemeni Schoolchildren, Blames US, West

The Iranian foreign ministry strongly deplored the Saudi-led coalition's new airstrikes on Sana'a which killed and wounded tens of Yemeni schoolgirls, stressing that the US and other western states should be seen as an accomplice in the crime due to their arms sales to Riyadh.

News ID: 444235

Date: 09 April 2019 - 11:06

RNA - "The countries which support the aggressive forces in Yemen through supplying weapons have created the humanitarian crisis in the country and they are collaborators in the crime and should account for their supports," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Monday.

He expressed deep regret over the continued silence shown by the international community on the Saudi-led coalition's aggression, and asked the UN and the influential countries in the Yemen crisis to increase their efforts to stop the attacks and adopt necessary measures to protect civilians, specially women and children.

Saudi-led airstrikes on Yemen's capital Sanaa hit an area near a girls school on Sunday, killing at least 13 children and wounding more than 100, local medical officials said.

Health officials said over 110 people were wounded in the explosion, which damaged the girls school.

On Sunday, Pope Francis also blamed Europe and the United States for the deaths of children in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan, saying on Saturday that wealthy Western countries fuel conflicts by selling weapons in war zones.

Speaking to students and teachers of Milan's San Carlo Institute, Francis said the reason there are so many wars around the world is "the rich in Europe and America sell weapons ... used to kill children and kill people".

Without such firepower, the pope added, there wouldn't have been war in countries such as Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria.

"A country that produces and sells weapons has on its conscience the death of every child and the destruction of each family," Francis stressed.

Talking about the need for countries to welcome and integrate migrants, the pope refuted the crime concerns governments cite to keep out asylum-seekers.

Foreigners aren't the source of most crime in Italy because "we also have lots of them", Francis stated.

"The Mafia has not been invented by Nigerians. Mafia is ours," he said, adding, "All of us have the possibility of being criminal. Migrants bring us wealth because Europe has been made by migrants."

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